Stage Home To Appeal To Buyers

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" is a profound statement that applies to the sale of your home. What we may see in our homes as the ultimate in décor and arrangement may be the antithesis of what the prospective homebuyer wants.

Home staging has become an increasingly popular method of preparing a home for sale. Staging is the process of making a home more appealing to a larger cross section of buyers.

In some instances, we have recommended our clients hire an interior decorator to simply rearrange their homes furnishings. The results have amazed our clients and in fact, expedited the sales process because of a larger appeal to prospective buyers.

Think of it this way. Every day we may step outdoors and see the Rim -- but do we really see it? The same applies to our homes. Over a period of years of living in our homes, we get very comfortable and we probably do not look at them with a critical eye. Over the years, we may tend to accumulate things that are comfortable and homey to us, but look like clutter to a prospective buyer. We have been in homes that have so much "stuff," that our clients never see the home because they are distracted by the owner's possessions.

Again, one home staging tactic is to carefully arrange furniture to simulate the ideal living space. Mirrors are often used to make small spaces seem larger. If you want to focus a buyer's attention to a unique area of the home, such as a stone fireplace, special artwork or accessories can catch the eye.

One of the most important steps in home staging is the exchange of your personal decorations with more neutral furnishings.

Beyond replacing family pictures with more design-friendly items, a successful home staging will attempt to eliminate any personal tastes and represent a living space that has broad appeal.

Though this process may make your home feel less warm and fuzzy to you, you should not take offense. This commonly used tactic simply helps potential buyers view the property not as someone else's home, but as something they could call their own.

The bottom line in home staging is about making the most of your home's potential. If the staging of your home is completed effectively, it is possible that your home may receive better offers from potential buyers and spend less time on the market.